Why Did it Have to be Me?
by Cutthroat Pixie
Summary: There was just something about her, something Narcissa couldn't put her finger on, but for whatever reason, everyone obeyed Bellatrix. Bellatrix and Narcissa centric.


Title: Why Did it Have to Be Me?  
>Characters: Bellatrix and Narcissa<br>Rating: T for blood and mentions of small children killing animals  
>Note: I wrote this over two years ago and just realised I've never posted it outside of an anonymous exchange. I haven't posted anything in awhile for any fandom, let alone Harry Potter, so I thought I'd put it up now.<p>

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><p>There was just something about her, it could have been anything, really. From the way her long, thick hair curled elegantly over her back, to the way her dark, striking eyes pierced you immediately upon meeting her, or the way she always, always carried a tone in her voice that said yes, she did know she was all that. It may have been her confident stride, or her fiery temper. There was also a possibility that it was just because, when it came down to it, she was downright terrifying, no matter how beautiful she may have been.<p>

Everyone obeyed Bellatrix.

Narcissa had learned this at a very young age, perhaps before she could even logically remember anything. Her earliest memories, ones filled with dresses and ribbons and anything else a young girl might desire, were overshadowed with her bossy, over-powering eldest sister.

While Narcissa was showered with love and gifts, Bellatrix commanded respect, demanded anything and everything she wanted. While Narcissa was quiet and sweet and everything a parent could hope for, Bellatrix was loud and headstrong and more than just a bit odd.

Cygnus was always away on some sort of business (as he told them, anyway, though most knew that to be untrue), Druella was constantly drowning her sorrows in a tumbler, Andromeda was scarcely seen, and Bellatrix was a constant presence, even when she was not actually around. Narcissa, the youngest, the baby, the perfect fair-haired child, was often seen but not heard, never brought into conversations, always around when Bellatrix needed an unwilling partner-in-crime.

One particularly vivid memory of her sister will always haunt her. It had been a beautiful, sunny day, perfect for sitting outside in the garden, and Bellatrix had gone off on her own, away from the house, on one of her little excursions. Narcissa, ever the polite child, had obeyed her mother when told to walk with her amongst the blooming flowers on their expansive land.

It is not the sweetly-scented flowers, nor the rare peaceful time spent with her mother, but the sight of her sister, her cheeks flushed with adrenaline, covered in blood that she remembers above all else. Narcissa was pushed aside in a mad dash to figure out what ill had befallen Bellatrix, but her sister had just laughed off the attention, told their mother to continue with whatever it was she was doing, and gone into the house, blood trailing off behind her.

Druella had obeyed, calling a house elf over to clean up the mess, and Narcissa was left in the garden as her mother went into the kitchen for a drink.

When Narcissa questioned her later, her soft voice politely inquiring in the politest way possible, Bellatrix's only answer had been, "It is none of your business, Sister." And because nobody, Narcissa included, saw fit to argue with Bellatrix, it was left at that, and the incident would forever remained a mystery in the eyes of Bellatrix's parents, though Narcissa would find out what exactly had happened later that night.

"Just come along," Bellatrix said, stirring Narcissa from her slumber and tugging on the young girl's dressing gown sleeve. "You are with me, you will not get in trouble."

It was dark, well past their bedtimes. Everyone else was safely and silently tucked in their beds, as Narcissa had been only moments before, but Bellatrix was restless. Narcissa desperately wanted to go back to sleep, to crawl under her covers and cuddle up to her pillow, but Bellatrix was pulling out of bed, was shoving her cloak at her, was demanding she come along _now_.

Narcissa, of course, obeyed.

Soft footfalls mixed with heavy, rushed ones as they descended through the house, Bellatrix leading and Narcissa blindly following. Nobody caught them, no house elf came out to greet them, and soon enough they were outside in the cool night air, walking away from the manor they resided in.

Narcissa ventured a small, "Where are we going?" but the inquiry fell away with the wind, drifting off unanswered.

On and on they went, well away from their front steps, past gardens of dahlias and daffodils, and though when they went through their front gates Narcissa wanted to protest, she did not. She never did.

The soft breeze quickened, getting colder and more biting, but still Bellatrix dragged her younger sister deeper into the world beyond their house, and still Narcissa voiced no words against her. Finally, just as her small form was beginning to grow far too weary, Narcissa was stopped.

"Look what I found," Bellatrix said, excitement in her tone, along with an odd sort of something Narcissa had not heard before. Narcissa followed the line drawn by Bellatrix's hand, past a trampled over bush, into a small, bloody clearing.

"What..." Narcissa trailed off as moonlight lit the clearing and her question was answered. The mangled, bloody, rotting form of what must have once been an animal lay atop a bed of leaves, twisted and covered in maggots. Narcissa paled, and had Bellatrix paid her any mind, she might have noticed a greenish tone tinting her baby sister's face. Bellatrix was completely enraptured by the mass of corpse on the ground before her, however, and she did not notice a single thing off about the moment.

Narcissa said nothing.

"I found it earlier today," Bellatrix explained, grabbing a stick and poking the hair covered flesh. "A bird must have gotten to it, it is missing more pieces than it was then."

Narcissa looked away, up at the stars and the moon, as if asking why she had to be pulled along to look at a dead animal. Most elder sisters shared stories, clothes, make up, toys... not corpses.

"How did you get its blood on you, Sister?" Narcissa finally asked after what felt like an eternity. She did not expect an answer, she never did, but that fact never stopped her from mustering up the courage to ask anyway.

She was not quite pleasantly surprised when Bellatrix actually responded. "It was alive when I found it."

Nothing more was said after that, and the novelty of poking at a the dead thing eventually wore off for Bellatrix. Cold and entirely freaked out, Narcissa had never been more grateful to be dropped back off in her room.

Despite the incident, Narcissa never stopped going along with whatever Bellatrix wanted. She was drawn to her older sister, for some reason that nobody could ever possibly comprehend, and no matter what ills would befall her because of it, she would always follow her out past the gates, wherever they may lie.


End file.
